In the winter of 2014, just a day before his nineteenth birthday, Deonta D. Horst was fatally shot in South Bend, Indiana. The 18-year-old male was at the Cedar Glen apartments on Sunday, December 28, 2014, when the incident that led to his death occurred. A former resident of Osceola, he had attended Penn High School and was employed by the Keystone RV Company.
Those who knew him remembered him as a person who was well-liked, and he enjoyed activities such as snowboarding, playing football, and spending time with his friends and family.
The events that led to Horst's death began with a robbery at the apartment where he was present. According to the probable cause affidavit, an individual living in the apartment was allegedly robbed by a man named Demetrius Murray. Following this robbery, Horst reportedly met Demetrius at the door of the apartment, and it was at this point that he was shot. The South Bend Police Department investigated the homicide with what the police chief at the time described as dedication and diligence.
Within a short period, the investigation led to the apprehension of two suspects. Demetrius Murray was arrested and subsequently charged with three counts: murder, felony murder, and robbery. His brother, Roemello Murray, was also arrested in connection with the crime. The quick arrests brought a sense of resolution to the initial phase of the investigation into the death of Deonta Horst, a young man whose life was cut short in a moment of violence.
